Biochar: Remember that word. While it may not be part of most investors’ vocabulary, biochar, a form of charcoal produced when organic matter is burned in the absence of oxygen, can store carbon and increase soil fertility — making it a more ideal alternative to some costly and complex carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies. Ecovolve has the idea of pairing the production of biochar with the development of small-scale distributed energy systems.
The New York City, NY-based company, founded a few months ago by a group of ambitious Princeton graduates, uses the above-described burning process, called pyrolysis, to produce energy from waste wood, agricultural residues and other non-food feedstocks. In addition to producing gases that are readily converted into electricity, Ecovolve’s systems also make biochar as a by-product.
To avoid the need for expensive equipment, the company first turns its raw biomass into bio-oil, a mixture of hydrocarbons produced during the flash pyrolysis, or rapid heating, of biomass. Though not a real substitute for oil, Ecovolve is working on improving its quality and stability to make it useful for stationary power generation applications, which could allow it to tap into the existing diesel fuel market.
The company claims its systems are simple, customizable and cheap enough to be deployed in both developed and developing countries. Unlike other renewable energies, such as solar and wind, which are sporadic, pyrolysis provides a continuous, on-demand source of power.
One more unique aspect of Ecovolve’s technology is its capacity to produce what is called “carbon-negative” energy. You’ve probably heard of “carbon-neutral” energy before — generating electricity without emitting carbon dioxide; the idea behind “carbon-negative” energy then is to make electricity while also sequestering carbon dioxide. This is accomplished by storing the carbon accreted in biomass as biochar, an inert form of carbon — which means it doesn’t release carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.
Jason Aramburu, one of Ecovolve’s co-founders and its technology developer, told Biopact in an earlier interview that his firm’s systems typically convert around 20 percent of raw biomass by weight into the carbon-rich material, which is 85 - 95 percent pure carbon. Processing the biomass thus actually results in fewer emissions being produced than if it were left to combust naturally or decompose, Aramburu says. Because of its high carbon content, it also becomes a highly desirable fertilizer substitute.
Ecovolve’s real ace in the hole, Aramburu told me, is its reliance on distributed, or on-site, energy generation — the ability to produce electricity from many small energy sources very near to where it will be used. Right now, most countries generate their electricity in large centralized facilities — coal plants and nuclear plants, for example — which makes sense when you’re supplying the energy to large populations over long distances due to economies of scale. But what if you only need to supply power to a small village or community?
